Method and system for calculating energy metrics of a building and one or more zones within the building

ABSTRACT

A method and system can provide building energy performance metrics that can help identify specific zones within a building which may have energy efficiency problems. The method and system can collect data from: indoor temperature sensors and humidity sensors present in each zone of a building; one or more temperature sensors and humidity sensors present outside of the building; one or more utility meters; and one or more HVAC devices. This data from the sensors can be aggregated and formed into a first profile. The energy efficiency calculation system can analyze the first profile to provide various energy performance metrics which can include, but are not limited to, energy efficiency ratios for air conditioners, the R-value or thermal resistance of the building, an amount of heat loss for the building, energy consumption by the building, current HVAC performance parameters, and utility usage comparisons.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention is generally directed to calculating energy metrics, andrelates more particularly to calculating energy metrics for a buildingsuch as a single family home so that energy efficiency of the home maybe improved.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

As buildings age, such as single family homes, their correspondingbuilding materials which form the respective building deteriorate overtime. For example, certain insulation as well as seals around windows ofa building may deteriorate over time due to exposure to harsh conditionssuch a ultraviolet rays from the sun as well as harsh weather conditionslike rain, wind, snow, and ice.

These harsh conditions can cause these building materials to deterioraterapidly and to lose their effectiveness as insulators and barriersagainst moisture and air. When these building materials lose theireffectiveness, they contribute to decreased energy efficiency of abuilding, such as the ability of a building to maintain a constantinternal temperature when the outside temperature changes.

This means that the HVAC system of such a building will need to workharder to maintain the internal temperature of the building when thebuilding has “energy leaks” caused by the deteriorated buildingmaterials. This increase work load for the HVAC system translates intohigher energy costs for the consumer in addition to placing anunnecessary additional load on utility providers, such as onelectricity, gas, and oil providers.

One problem associated with energy leaks of a building is that theoccupant of a building may not be able to identify the source orlocation of the energy leaks within the building. In a typical building,such as in a single family home, several rooms of the building may beheated or cooled by a single HVAC device, such as by a furnace orcentral air conditioner. While a building occupant may notice adifference in overall energy costs when energy leaks occur within abuilding, the building occupant may not be able to accurately identifythe source of these energy leaks, especially when each room of thebuilding may have several different potential sources that constitutethe energy leaks. For example, if each room of a building has severalwindows and one or more external doors, it would be very challenging forthe building occupant to determine which window or door may be the solecause or larger contributor of an energy leak.

Another problem with energy leaks that may be present in a building ishow they can be repaired. Often, a building occupant may not have therequisite skill or time (or both) to repair the sources of the energyleaks. Therefore, the building occupant may need to identify acontractor with adequate skill to repair the sources or buildingmaterials associated with the energy leaks.

An additional problem is that building occupants frequently do not havea baseline with which to compare the energy efficiency of their buildingrelative to other buildings. In other words, while it is an objectivefor a building to be as energy efficient as possible, it is well knownthat a building cannot be one-hundred percent energy efficient. However,it can be challenging for a building occupant to know what is theacceptable range of less than perfect energy efficiency performance.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a method and system whichcan provide useful baseline energy metrics from which a buildingoccupant can compare their building against. There is also a need in theart for a method and system that can identify the location and specificsource of energy leaks within a building. There is a further need in theart for a method and system which can help identify specific energyleaks, such as by a room or a zone. And lastly, there is a need in theart for a method and system which can help diagnose the sources ofenergy leaks in addition to suggesting contractors who may be able torepair the energy leaks.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method and system can provide building energy performance metrics thatcan help identify specific zones within a building which may have energyefficiency problems. The method and system can collect data from: indoortemperature sensors and humidity sensors present in each zone of abuilding; one or more temperature sensors and humidity sensors presentoutside of the building; one or more utility meters; and one or moreHVAC devices. This data from the sensors can be aggregated and formedinto a first profile. This first profile can then be transmitted over acommunications network to an energy efficiency calculation system. Theenergy efficiency calculation system can analyze the first profile toprovide various energy performance metrics which can include, but arenot limited to, energy efficiency ratios for air conditioners, theR-value or thermal resistance of the building, an amount of heat lossfor the building, energy consumption by the building, current HVACperformance parameters, and utility usage comparisons.

In addition to calculating various energy performance metrics for aparticular building, the energy efficiency calculation system canprovide comparisons between a particular building and groups ofbuildings in a first geography and a second geography. For example, theenergy efficiency calculation system can compare the energy performancemetrics of a first building against energy performance metrics of aplurality of similar second buildings located in a zip code which is thesame as the first building as well as against third buildings located ingroups of zip codes adjacent to the first building. These comparisonswith other buildings allow a user to determine what may be an acceptablelevel of efficiency given that most buildings will never haveefficiencies at or near one-hundred percent.

The method and system can provide an interactive display which canprovide the energy performance metrics depicted in an graphical mannerin an easy to understand visual presentation. For example, a home energyefficiency rating system could include a graphical scale using differentcolors to define the energy efficiency value for a particular building.The method and system can display values of other buildings adjacent tothe building of interest in a graphical manner, such as in line graphsand bar charts.

The method and system can also provide energy performance metrics for anoverall building in addition to metrics that are specific to zoneswithin the building. After calculating energy performance metrics foreach zone, the method and system can also flag those zones which haveindividual metrics which are below acceptable minimums for performance.For these zones which are below acceptable minimums, the system andmethod can request additional information about those zones in order toperform additional calculations. This additional information requestedfor each zone of interest can include, but is not limited to, a numberof windows in a zone, number of doors in a zone, types of windows inzone, number of ceiling fans in zone, the size of the zone in squarefeet, and the height of the zone.

After receiving the additional information about a zone which usuallyincludes specifics on the physical features of the zone as describedabove, the energy efficiency calculation system can determine morespecific energy efficiency metrics for the zone and then providerecommendations on potential solutions for improving the energyefficiency metrics for the zone of interest. The method and system mayalso list preferred vendors associated with the solutions that themethod and system can contact if requested by the building occupant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a functional block diagram illustrating a system forcalculating energy efficiency metrics of a building and one or morezones within a building according to one exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 1B is a functional block diagram illustrating one or more zoneswithin a building that can be taken into account for the energyefficiency metrics calculated by the system of FIG. 1A according to oneexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a user interface for an exemplary thermostatillustrated in FIG. 1 according to one exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3 is a group of graphs illustrating outdoor temperature ranges overa period of time as well as energy cost over time of a user interfaceaccording to one exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a user interface for a thermostat or personalcomputer which is displaying a summary of energy metrics for a buildingaccording to one exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a user interface for a thermostat or personalcomputer which is displaying energy metrics for a particular zone withina building according to one exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates a user interface for a thermostat or personalcomputer which is displaying recommendations to improve energyperformance for a particular zone within a building according to oneexemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram illustrating some exemplary detailsfor the an enhanced thermostat and a data acquisition unit according toone exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram of a personal computer that can beused in the system according to one exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 9 is a functional block diagram exemplary software architecture forthe efficiency calculation system of FIG. 1 according to one exemplaryembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10A is a logic flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method forcalculating energy efficiency metrics of a building and one or morezones within a building according to one exemplary embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 10B is a continuation of the logic flow diagram of FIG. 10Aillustrating an exemplary method for calculating energy efficiencymetrics of a building and one or more zones within a building accordingto one exemplary embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a submethod or routine of the method of FIG. 10 forcalculating energy efficiency metrics of a building according to oneexemplary embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

A method and system can provide building energy performance metrics thatcan help identify specific zones within a building which may have energyefficiency problems. The method and system can collect data from: indoortemperature sensors and humidity sensors present in each zone of abuilding; one or more temperature sensors and humidity sensors presentoutside of the building; one or more utility meters; and one or moreHVAC devices. This data from the sensors can be aggregated and formedinto a first profile. The energy efficiency calculation system cananalyze the first profile to provide various energy performance metricswhich can include, but are not limited to, energy efficiency ratios forair conditioners, the R-value or thermal resistance of the building, anamount of heat loss for the building, energy consumption by thebuilding, current HVAC performance parameters, and utility usagecomparisons.

Turning now to the drawings in which like reference numerals refer tolike elements, FIG. 1A is a functional block diagram illustrating asystem 100 for calculating energy efficiency metrics of a FIG. 101 andone or more zones A-C within the FIG. 101 according to one exemplaryembodiment of the invention. FIG. 101 may have several different definedareas such as zones A-C. These zones A-C may each comprise an enclosedor defined area that are separate from one another such that each zonecould be air tight relative to an adjacent zone. For example, zone A mayhave interior walls that have doors 107A and 107B which allow zone A tobe completely enclosed or separated from its neighboring zones C andzone B. However, one of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that zonesthat are adjacent to each other within a building 101 but which do nothave precise or physical barriers that separate one zone from anotherare not beyond the scope of the invention.

Each zone 102A, 102B and 102C illustrated in FIG. 1A has a rectilinearshape. The invention is not limited to rectilinear shaped zones andother shaped zones are within the scope of the invention. For example,each zone 102 could have a square or polygonal shape greater than foursides without departing from the scope of the invention.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A, a first door 107Aexists between a first zone 102A and a third zone 102C. A second door107B separates the first zone 102A from the second zone 102B and a thirddoor 107C in the third zone 102C comprises an exterior door whichseparates the third zone 102C from the outside. A fewer or a greaternumber of doors 107 can be provided without departing from the scope ofthe invention. For example, the first zone 102A could also comprise anexterior door 107 without departing from the scope of the invention.However, the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A only hasinterior doors 107A, 107B and no exterior doors for the first zone 102A.

The building 101 can be constructed from any type of building materials.For example, the figure materials can comprise of naturally occurringmaterials such as clay, sand, and wood, as well as many man-madeproducts such as brick, concrete, metal, glass, ceramics, and plastics.

In addition to the doors 107, each zone 102 may also comprise one ormore windows 103 present within the walls which form a respective zone102. Typically, each window of a particular zone 102 will be provided onan exterior wall of the building 101. According to the system 101, eachzone 102 will comprise at least one environmental sensor 104. Eachenvironmental sensor 104 may comprise a temperature sensor and arelative humidity sensor. The temperature sensor can comprise a thermalcouple. However, other types of temperature sensors are not beyond thescope of the invention. For example, the temperature sensor could easilycomprise a thermistor, a resistance thermometer and a silicon band gaptemperature sensor.

The relative humidity sensor can comprise a hygrometer. The hygrometercan be an electronic sensor which is either capacitive or resistive innature. A capacitive hygrometer can sense water by applying analternating current signal between two plates and measuring the changein capacitance caused by the amount of water present. Resistancehygrometers can use a polymer membrane which changes conductivityaccording to absorbed water in the environment.

Each environmental sensor 104 can be a wired or wireless device. In theexemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A, each environment in sensor104 is a wireless device which may comprise an antenna 105 to establisha radio frequency blink between respective environmental sensors 104 anddata acquisition unit 110. One of ordinary skill in the art recognizesthat the other forms of wireless communications, besides radio frequencycommunications, are within the scope of the invention. For example,other wireless communication forms (not illustrated) include, but notlimited to magnetic, optical, acoustic, and other like wireless media.As noted above, zone 102 of FIG. 101 may comprise a respectiveenvironmental sensor 104. Further, an outside environmental sensor 104Dis also part of the system 100.

In addition to the environmental sensors 104, the system 100 furthercomprises one or more heating ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC)units 112. Each HVAC unit 112 can comprise a heating unit orair-conditioning unit or combination thereof such as a heat pump. Forheating applications, each HVAC unit could comprise a boiler, furnace,or heat pump. While not illustrated, the HVAC units 112 may feed intoduct work, for forced air systems, or piping to distribute heated fluidto radiators which transfer heat to the air. The duct work may feedvents that are present in each one of the zones 102 or the pipesdistributing a heated fluid may be coupled to a radiator in which aradiator not illustrated may be present in each zone 102. Radiators maybe mounted to walls or buried in the floor.

For cooling applications, each HVAC unit 112 can comprise a centralair-conditioning system that is coupled to duct work or a stand-aloneair-conditioner such as a window mounted air conditioner known to one ofordinary skill in the art. While only one HVAC unit 112 is illustratedin FIG. 1A, one of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that two or moreHVAC units 112 would physically be present in those systems which use afurnace or a boiler for heating application and a centralair-conditioning system for cooling applications. Typically, the HVACunit 112 comprising an air-conditioning system, and more specifically, acompressor fan, would be located on the exterior of the building 101.Meanwhile, an HVAC unit 112 for heating applications that may comprise afurnace or boiler would likely be present in a mechanical room in theinterior of the building 101 and usually in a low-lying or subterraneanlevel such as a basement inside of building 101. Each HVAC unit 112 alsohas communications abilities and may comprise an antenna 105 to supportwireless communications.

The HVAC unit 112 may be linked with a communications network such as anadvance metering infrastructure (“AMI”) that is a system used tomeasure, collect, and analyze energy usage from enhanced devices such asutility meters 114 which include electricity meters, gas meters, andwater meters through various communication media on request or on apredefined schedule. This AMI system typically includes hardware,software, communications, and customer associated systems and meter datamanagement software. AMI typically permits two-way communicationsbetween the AMI back end system 126 and respective utility meters 114,as well as HVAC unit 112. The AMI back end system 126 can comprise thehardware, software, communications and customer associated systems andmeter data management software mentioned above.

The system 100 in addition to the environmental sensors 104, HVAC units112 and utility meters 114, can further comprise an enhanced thermostat109 that is shown in the second zone 102B illustrated in FIG. 1A. Theenhanced thermostat 109 can comprise its own environmental sensor notshown, in addition to a data acquisition unit 110. The data acquisitionunit 110, generally, collects and formats the data received from therespective environmental sensors 104. Further details of the enhancedthermostat 109 will be described in further detail below in FIG. 7. Oneof ordinary skill in the art recognizes that more than one thermostat109 can be employed in the system 100 without departing from the scopeof the invention. For example, the first zone 102A and the third zone102C each could have its respective thermostat 109 without departingfrom the scope of the invention.

Enhanced thermostat 109 in combination with its data acquisition unit110 can be coupled to a communications gateway 116. The communicationsgateway 116, like the enhanced thermostat 108, can also comprise its ownantenna 105 for supporting a wireless coupling between gateway 116 andthe enhanced thermostat 108. However, wired couplings between gateway116 and the enhanced thermostat 108 are not beyond the scope of theinvention.

The gateway 116 can work on all seven OSI layers. The gateway 116 canreceive information or data from the data acquisition unit 110 over afirst wireless communication protocol that may be common to theenvironmental sensors 104 and the enhanced thermostat 108. The gateway116 then converts this first communications protocol to the secondcommunications protocol such as TCP/IP protocol.

The first wireless communications protocol that may be common among theenvironmental sensors 104 and the enhanced thermostat 108 can comprisethe Zigbee communications protocol. This means that each wireless deviceillustrated in FIG. 1A may comprise a packet radio. For the Zigbeewireless communication protocol, each device such as the environmentalsensors 104 may comprise a low-powered digital radio which employs theIEEE802.15.4-2006 standard for wireless personal area networks (WPANs).However, other communication protocols and standards for radio frequencycommunications are not beyond the scope of the invention. For example,other communication protocols can include, but are not limited toIEEE802.11, Bluetooth IEEE802.16 (wireless LAN), WAN, and other likewireless communication protocols.

The system 100 may further comprise a personal computer 106 that alsosupports wireless communication links with the gateway 116. However,wired links between the personal computer 106 and gateway 116 are notbeyond the scope of the invention. Further details of the personalcomputer 106 will be described below in FIG. 8. The gateway 116 may beimplemented in hardware, software or both and can be implemented bysoftware installed within a conventional router. The gateway 116 canhave a wired or wireless link with a computer communications network118. The computer communications network 118 can comprise a wide areanetwork (WAN), a local area network (LAN) or the Internet.

The computer communications network 118 can be coupled to the AMI backend system 126, a home efficiency product vendor backend 124, and anefficiency calculation system 120. The efficiency calculation system 120can receive the data transmitted by the gateway 116. The data which istransmitted by the gateway 116 is the data formatted and which may becompressed by the data acquisition unit 110. As noted previously, thedata within the data acquisition unit 110 may comprise the informationcollected from the various environmental sensors 104 such as temperaturedata and relative humidity data. The efficiency calculations system 120may further receive data from the AMI backend system 126 which collectsdata from the various utility meters 114 as well as HVAC units 112. Oneof ordinary skill in the art also recognizes that the enhancedthermostat 109 may also have a communications link with each HVAC unit112 similar to the communications link between the HVAC Unit 112 and theAMI backend system 126.

The efficiency calculation system 120 can compute various performancemetrics based on all the data that it receives from the various deviceswithin the system 100 such as the HVAC units 112, utility meters 114 andenvironmental sensors 104. The efficiency calculation system 120 cancompute an energy efficient rating for the air-conditioning side of anHVAC unit 112, an R value which is a measure of thermal resistance forthe entire building 101 as well as R values for each individual zone102, a heat loss metric, an overall HVAC equipment efficiency metric, anenergy consumption metric, as well as additional utility metrics.Further details of the efficiency calculation system 120 will bedescribed below with respect to FIGS. 9 and 11.

The efficiency calculation system 120 can maintain and store data frommultiple buildings 101 across large geographical areas. For example, theefficiency calculation system 120 can maintain a home owner historicaldatabase 122A as well as a comparison database 122B which sorts data bygeography. With these databases 122A, 122B, the efficiency calculationsystem 120 can further provide performance metrics for the firstbuilding 101 compared against energy performance metrics of a pluralityof similar second buildings 101 located in a specific geographical areasuch as a zip code as well as a performance metrics of the firstbuilding 101 against third buildings 101 located in groups of zip codesadjacent to the zip code of the first FIG. 101.

A further description of exemplary performance metrics will be describedbelow with respect to FIGS. 2-5. The efficiency calculation system 120can be implemented in hardware or software or both.

The efficiency calculation system 120 will generally comprise a computerserver for supporting numerous client-based applications. The homeefficiency product vendor backend system 124 can also comprise acomputer server similar to the hardware or software (or both) of theefficiency calculations system 120.

According to one exemplary and preferred embodiment, the efficiencycalculation system 120 in the form of a computer server can supportnumerous personal computers 106 of several different buildings 101. Theefficiency calculation system 120 can send detailed energy metrics ofthe building 101 through the computer communications network 118 to thepersonal computer 106 for displaying to a user.

It is envisioned that the efficiency calculation system 120 will performdetailed and often complex calculations for the energy metrics of abuilding 101 so that the personal computer 106 can execute or run a thinclient application that is not too memory or processor intensive. Inthis way, various types of personal computers 106 can be supported bythe efficiency calculation system 120. Further, the efficiencycalculation 120 could send energy metrics of the building 101 to otherdevices smaller than a typical personal computer 106 such as hand-helddevices like personal digital assistance, cell phones, and other likehand-held units.

The efficiency calculations system 120 can communicate with the homeefficiency product vendor backend system 124 through the communicationsnetwork 118. The efficiency calculations system 120 can suggest vendorsof particular services to the occupant of the building 101 based uponinformation that a building occupants can provide to the efficiencycalculation system 120. The efficiency calculation system 120 can put ina request to the home efficiency product vendor backend system 124 if anoccupant of the building 101 needs a particular service associated withimproving the efficiency of the building 101. Further details regardingthe efficiency calculation system 120 and its communications with thehome efficiency product vendor backend system 124 will be discussed infurther detail below in connection with FIG. 6 and FIGS. 10-11.

Referring now to FIG. 1B, this Figure is a functional block diagramillustrating a Region 137 adjacent to one or more zones 102 within abuilding 101 that can be taken into account for the energy efficiencymetrics calculated by the system 100 of FIG. 1A according to oneexemplary embodiment of the invention. In this figure, two additionalenvironmental sensors 104D and 104E are positioned within the region 137which is adjacent to zones 102C and zone 102A. In the exemplaryembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1B, the region 137 can comprise an atticspace relative to the two zones 102C, 102A. However, one of ordinaryskill in the art recognizes that additional or different regions 137 arewithin the scope of the invention. For example, other regions 137 caninclude but are not limited to basements and crawl spaces that aretypically positioned underneath buildings 101. The environmental sensors104 are generally placed in the region 137 adjacent to their respectivezone 102. The environmental sensors 104 illustrated in FIG. 1B are thesame as the environmental sensors 104 illustrated in FIG. 1A.

Referring now to FIG. 2, this figure illustrates a user interface 200for an exemplary enhanced thermostat 109 illustrated in FIG. 1Aaccording to one exemplary embodiment of the invention. While it'scontemplated that these are user interface 200 illustrated in FIG. 2will be used with the enhanced thermostat 109 of FIG. 1A, one ofordinary skill in the art recognizes that the user interface 200 couldeasily be used in connection with the personal computer 106 illustratedin FIG. 1A.

The user interface 200 can be produced by any number of display devicessuch as a liquid crystal displays (LCD). Conventional Cathod Ray Tube(CRT) Monitors can also support the User interface 200.

The user interface 200 can comprise a date display 202 as well as thecurrent zone temperature 208 and a desired temperature 210 for the zonebeing displayed. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, theZone temperature 208 and desired temperature 210 are conveyed in theFahrenheit temperature scale, however, the temperature scale can alsocomprise the Celsius temperature scale. The zone temperature 208 in theexemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 is 69 degrees Fahrenheit andthe desired temperature 210 of the zone is 72 degrees.

In addition to the zone temperature 208 and desired temperature 210displays, the user interface 200 can further comprise climate controlbuttons 212 that can be activated by a user. The display device for theuser interface 200 can comprise a touch screen display which can allow auser touch the respective temperature control buttons 212 in order toactivate them. The first climate control button 212A is the button usedto decrease the temperature in a respective zone period. The secondbutton 212 which is an “up” arrow could be used to increase thetemperature of a respective zone 102 or a plurality zones 102.

The User interface 200 can further comprise a home efficiency ratingscale 204 that can convey efficiency ratings in a graphical manner. Thehome efficiency rating scale 204 can comprise a bar graph that includesmultiple colored regions or areas to indicate certain levels ofefficiency for a building 101. The colors can include, but are limitedto, red, red-orange, yellow, green-yellow, and green. According to oneexemplary rating scale the red and red-orange size of the efficiencyscale 204 can indicate low levels of efficiency while green-yellow andgreen colors on the right side of the scale 204 can indicate higherlevels and desired levels of efficiency for a building 101. The scale204 can include a pointer 206 such as an arrow to indicate where acurrent home efficiency rating for a zone 102 or throughout the otherzones exist. One of ordinary skill in the art further recognizes that aliquid crystal display and the colors described above could beilluminated or activated so that each region or square illustrated inthe scale 204 could be filled with a particular color to indicate thatthe level for a particular region has been met by a zone 102 orplurality of zones 102 within a building 101. Other graphical scalesbesides bar graphs could be employed without departing from the scope ofthe invention.

For example, the home efficiency rating could also comprise a numericaldisplay 214A in order to convey a home efficiency rating to the userthrough the user interface 200. In the exemplary embodiment illustratedin FIG. 2, the home efficiency rating is a “seven” on a rating scale of1 to 10 in which a level of one indicates very poor efficiency while alevel of ten indicates a high or excellent level of efficiency. However,other graphical means not illustrated in user interface 202 are withinthe scope of the invention.

In addition to the home efficiency rating scales 204 and 214A, the userinterface 200 can further comprise an energy consumption display 216.The energy consumption display 216 can convey current levels forconsumption of a particular utility. For example, in the exemplaryembodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the energy consumption display 216 islisting a consumption of electricity for a particular building 101. Inthe exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, an exemplary rate of 18cents per kilowatt hour is shown. However, one of ordinary skill in theart recognizes that alternative energy consumption displays 216 arewithin the scope of the invention. For example, the energy consumptiondisplay could convey information related to other utilities such as gas,propane, oil, water and other like utilities of a conventional building101.

The user interface 200 may further comprise relative energy efficiencyperformance data 218 for the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2.The relative energy performance data can comprise data involving Rvalues calculated for a building 101. R values can correspond to the Rvalue display 214A discussed above. However, the R values shown in theenergy efficiency performance data 218 include relative values thatcompare the R value of a single building 101 compared to other buildings101 in a local geography as well as a macro-geography.

Specifically, the energy efficiency performance data 218 comprises ascale 220 ranging between 0 and 10 similar to the R value scalediscussed above with the respect to the R value 214A. The efficiencyperformance data 218 further comprises four bar graphs 214B-214E. Thefirst bar graph 214B corresponds to the R value for the building 101 inwhich the user interface 200 controls. This first bar graph 214B has anR value with a magnitude of 7 which corresponds to the single-digitdisplay 214A of the R value mentioned above. The second bar graph 214Ccan correspond to an R value of a building 101 that is historical innature.

For the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the second bar graph214C can convey an R value for the building 101 that is one year old.However one of ordinary skill in the art recognized that otherhistorical values are not beyond the invention. For example, thehistorical bar graph 214C could convey and R value of a building 101that is one day old, a month, a few months old, or an average over timesuch as an average over several years.

The third bar graph 214D can convey an average of R values taken fromBuildings 101 in a local geography relative to the building 101containing the enhanced thermostat 108. One example of a local geographycan include those buildings 101 within a same coastal zip code. In theexemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the third bar graph 214D hasa magnitude of eight for its R Value.

The fourth bar graph 214E can convey an average R value with the respectto multiple buildings within a macro-geography. One example of amacro-geography can comprise buildings 101 within a plurality of zipcodes such as in a city or metropolitan area. Another example of amacro-geography could comprise buildings 101 within a state or country.With the relative energy efficiency performance data 218, an occupant ofa building 101 can determine if the level of efficiency performance fora particular building 101 is within acceptable range or within the normfor other buildings 101 in a particular geographic region.

For the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the particular building 101 hasan R value of seven and a historical R Value of six. Meanwhile,buildings 101 in a local geography have an R value of eight andbuildings within a macro-geography have a R value of 6. With thisexemplary data, the occupant of a building 101 would understand that theR value for the particular building 101 falls generally within anacceptable range relative to other buildings 101 within the local andmacro-geographies. The efficiency calculations system 120 can provideall of these values for the bar graphs 214 in this relative energyefficiency performance data 218.

While R values were described in connection with the example of FIG. 2,one of ordinary skill in the art recognized that other relative energyperformance data 218 could be conveyed without departing from theintervention. In other words, one of ordinary skill in the artrecognized that other types of graphs and other types of data such asenergy efficiency ratings (EER) for air conditioners, heat losscalculations, HVAC efficiency metrics, energy consumption data, andother data could be provided in the relative energy efficiencyperformance data 218 without departing from the invention. Additionally,the efficiency calculations system 120 could also group buildings 101according to certain classifications.

For example, the efficiency calculation system 120 could group similarbuildings 101 according to their status as either residential orcommercial. Further classifications could be made such as the squarefootage present within each particular building 101. The efficiencycalculations system 120 could group buildings 101 together, but havesimilar ranges of square footage. Other classifications or groupings ofbuildings 101 could be made without departing from the invention. Inthis way, the relative energy efficiency performance data 218 withcomparing similar buildings 101 to one another. This would eliminate thepotential of the efficiency calculations system 120 comparing efficiencyperformance data between a small residential building 101 and a largecommercial building 101.

Referring now to FIG. 3, this figure is a user interface 300 providing agroup of graphs 302 illustrating outdoor temperature ranges 315 over aperiod of time 325 as well as energy costs 320 over the same period oftime 325 according to one exemplary embodiment of the invention. Theuser interface 300 can be provided on either the enhanced thermostat 109or personal computer 106 of FIG. 1A.

The first graph 302A provides a plot of outdoor temperature ranges 305and daily energy costs 315 versus a period of time 325. This period orspan of time illustrated in FIG. 3 comprises three months such as themonths through May-June of the year 2008. One of ordinary skill in theart recognizes that other temperature ranges, other scales for cost, andother spans or periods of time may be selected without departing fromthe scope of the invention. In this first graph 302A the solid line 315Acorrespondence with the outdoor temperature scale 305. The solid line315A indicates the daily temperature as measured by the outdoorenvironmental sensor 104D as illustrated in FIG. 1A for the months ofMay-July of the year 2008. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated inFIG. 3, the initial May temperature starts at approximately fifty-fivedegrees Fahrenheit and goes to approximately eighty-one degreesFahrenheit in July 2008. Meanwhile, the dashed-line 320A of the firstgraph 302A corresponds with the daily energy costs scale 310.

The second graph 302B depicts data similar to that illustrated in thefirst graph 302A except that the time-range 325B corresponds to aprevious year for a particular building 101. In other words, the secondgraph 302B provides a plot of daily outdoor temperature and daily energycosts against a span of time for a particular building approximately oneyear ago relative to the time period 125A illustrated in the first graph302. One of ordinary skill in the art recognizes that similar to firstgraph 302A, the magnitude of the scales for the second graph 302B can bevaried without departing from the invention. For example, thetime-period 325B can be adjusted by the user to include more or lesshistorical type periods than those which are illustrated. Similarly,different values for the X-axis could be selected besides the dailyoutdoor temperature range and daily costs range which are illustrated.For example, the X-axis could be provided with a range of R Values orenergy efficient ratings (EER) for air conditioners without departingfrom the invention.

In the third graph 302C, a similar plot of daily outdoor temperature 305and daily costs 310 against a time period 325C is illustrated. However,this third graph 302C can comprise data taken from a plurality ofbuildings 101 within a local geography or a macro-geography as describedabove with respect to FIG. 2. That is, the solid line 315C couldrepresent the daily outdoor temperature adjacent to a plurality ofbuildings within a local geography or a macro-geography and a thedashed-line 320 could be an average energy costs taken from a pluralityof buildings 101 and a local or macro-geography. All of these graphs 302could be produced by the efficiency calculation system 120 as describedabove in connection with FIG. 1A. With this current data, historicaldata, and relative data an occupant of a building 101 can assess therelative energy efficiency performance of a particular building 101. Inthis way, an occupant of a building 101 will have a fairly good measureto determine if further improvements are needed to the building 101 inorder to increase a building's energy efficiency performance relative toother buildings 101 within a local or macro-geography.

Referring now to FIG. 4, this figure illustrates the user interface 400for an enhanced thermostat 109 or personal computer 106 which isdisplaying a summary of energy metrics for a building 101 according toone exemplary embodiment of the invention. In this exemplary userinterface 400, three categories of data can be displayed: a data set forall zones 102 of a building 101; a first zone 102A; and a third zone102C. For the data set addressing all of these zones 102, the firstentry can comprise an energy efficiency ratio (EER) 402 that may relatethe efficiency to one or more air conditioners which cool the zones 102of a building 101. This EER performance rating is defined by the airconditioning, heating, and refrigeration institute in its standard ARI210-240-2008. However, other air conditioning performance metrics arewithin the scope of the invention.

Another value can comprise a heat loss value 404. A heat loss rateestimate can be computed when the heating/cooling system is disabled bymeasuring the change in room temperature over time. The observed changein temperature, can be multiplied by the number of cubic feet and thetheoretical number of BTUs per cubic foot, per degree F. (this isapproximately 0.0182 BTU/(ft³F)), to yield the number of BTUs lost overthe period. This is the estimate heat loss. Because heat loss rate isdependent on the indoor-outdoor temperature differential, it is usefulto compute the heat loss per degree-day. Heat loss per degree-day is theamount of heat that is expected to be lost over the course of a daywhere the indoor-outdoor temperature differential is 1 degree F. Thiscan be computed by dividing the observed heat loss by the averageindoor-outdoor temperature differential and multiplying by a conversionfactor to scale to a 24-hour period.

A third entry in the all zone category can comprise an R-value. TheR-value 214 can be a measure of thermal resistance measured in feetsquared, degrees Fahrenheit, hrs, per BTU (ft² F hr/BTU). Generally, thebigger the R-value, the better the building insulation's effectiveness.An R-value typically only covers conducted heat and is usually not ameasure of a building's insulation's materials qualities as a radiantbarrier. For this system, the term R-value is used to express theaggregate thermal insulating properties of the building. To determinethe R-value, the internal surface area of the zone/building ismultiplied by the observed temperature change (during a period ofheating/cooling inactivity) and divided by the heat loss previouslycomputed. This computation yields an estimated effective R-value for thezone/building.

A fourth value under the all zone category in the user interface 400 cancomprise an energy consumption value 216 that may display electricalenergy consumption as well as a gas consumption for a particularbuilding 101. The exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, theelectricity consumption is shown as 18 cents a kilowatt/hour. The gasconsumption is illustrated as 20 cubic feet/hour. One of ordinary skillin the art recognizes that other utility rates could be illustratedwithout departing from the scope of the invention.

A fifth value that can be determined is the heating/cooling power inBTU/hr for the active heating/cooling system. After a baseline heat lossrate is established, the change in temperature for a zone/building canbe observed while the heating/cooling system is active. The heat loss(gain) rate during this period is the sum of the heating/cooling powerof the heating/cooling system and the heat loss baseline. Therefore, anestimate of the heating/cooling power of the system (BTU/hr) can becomputed by subtracting the baseline heat loss from the heat loss (gain)during the period of heating/cooling activity.

A sixth value under the all zone category can comprise theheating/cooling system's energy efficiency ratio (EER) for the airconditioner or furnace BTU/(W hr). This can be computed by dividing theobserved heating/cooling power divided the electrical power consumedduring that period of observation. This computation can also be carriedout for other energy sources (i.e. natural gas furnace).

Like the air conditioner efficiency value 406, the user interface 400can also display a furnace efficiency 408 under the all zone category ofthe user interface 400. Next, underneath these efficiency metrics forthe category of all zones, a 7^(th) value can comprise a zone size value410. This zone size value 410 can indicate the size of livable spacewithin a typical building 101. Typically, the occupant of a building 101is prompted to input a proximate size of all the zones 102 together fora particular building 101.

The user interface 400 of FIG. 4 further includes metrics for particularzones 102 of a building 101. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated inFIG. 4, zone A and zone C are profiled. Based on the data which iscollected from the environmental sensors 104 in each respective zone 102as well as any environmental sensors 104 which are positioned adjacentto the zones such as environmental zones 104D, 104E as illustrated inFIG. 1B, efficiency calculations 120 can provide specific energyefficiency performance metrics that are tailored to a particular zone102 within the building 101. Each zone-based set of energy efficiencyperformance metrics can be similar or the same as what is describedabove with respect to the all zone category. That is, zone specificenergy efficiency performance metrics can comprise, but are not limitedto, an EER performance value 402A, the heat loss value 402B, a R-value214A1, and a zone size (in squared units such as square feet or squaremeters).

The efficiency calculation system 120 can compare the metrics ofindividual zones 102 and can compare them to all of the zones within abuilding 101 in order to determine if any particular zone 102 is lessefficient relative to other zones 102. For example, the efficiencycalculation system 120 can compare the EER performance value 402A of thefirst zone 102A to the EER performance value 402C of the third zone102C. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the EER performance value 402A of thefirst zone 102A has a magnitude of 7 while the EER performance 402C ofthe third zone 102C has a magnitude of 3. Based on these two metricsalone, the efficiency calculation system 120 could determine that thethird zone 102C may have some potential sources of energy losses. Theefficiency calculation system 120 can also compare the energy efficiencyperformance metrics to the values for the all zone category to determinewhether a particular zone 102 may have potential sources for energylosses. Similarly, the efficiency calculation systems 120 can alsocompare one zone relative to another zone in addition to comparing eachzone 102 to the all zone category metrics.

Referring now to FIG. 5, this figure illustrates a user interface 500for an enhanced thermostat 109 or a personal computer 106 which isdisplaying suggested input from an occupant of a building 101 for aparticular zone 102 within the building 101 according to one exemplaryembodiment of the invention. The user interface 500 can display a sizeof a zone 102 which is a particular focus of the user interface 500.This size of the zone 102 can be expressed in a form of squared units,such as squared meters or squared feet. Alternatively, the size of thezone can be expressed in terms of cubic units such as cubic feet. Theuser can input the size of each zone during system set up.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the third zone 102Cis being analyzed and is shown to have an area of approximately 1,000cubic feet. As noted above, this zone size is typically entered in by anoccupant of the building 101 when the system 100 is initialized.

Under the displayed area, the remainder of the user interface 500 canprompt the user for specific input for the particular zone of interest.The zone of interest may be identified by the efficiency calculationsystem 120 after the metrics as illustrated in FIG. 4 are assessed bythe efficiency calculation system. As noted above, the third zone 102Cas illustrated in FIG. 4 has lower energy efficiency performancerelative to the first zone 102A and relative to the category of allzones illustrated at the top of the user interface 400 in FIG. 4.

Exemplary input that may be suggested by the efficiency calculationsystem includes, but is not limited to, the following information: thenumber of windows in the zone of interest 502; the number of doors inthe zone of interest 504; the number of months since the seals around adoor (if doors exist in the zone of interest) 506; the number of monthsowed for the age of windows (if present within the zone of interest)expressed in the number of months 508; the number of windows (if presentin the zone of interest) facing the southward direction 510; the numberof windows (if present within the zone of interest) facing north 512;the type of windows as selected from a list 514; the number of ceilingfans in the zone of interest 516; and a height of the zone of interestexpressed in certain units such as feet or meters 518.

Other suggested input not illustrated in FIG. 5 is within the scope ofthe invention. For example, other suggested input to assess thepotential sources of energy efficiency performance problems can include,the type of insulation surrounding a particular zone of interest; theestimated R-value for the insulation surrounding the zone of interest;the type of building materials which form the walls and ceiling of thezone of interest; and other similar information as it relates to theenergy efficiency performance for a zone of interest.

Referring now to FIG. 6, this figure illustrates a user interface 600for an enhanced thermostat 109 or a personal computer 106 which isdisplaying recommendations 602, 604 to improve energy performance for aparticular zone 102 within a building 101 according to one exemplaryembodiment of the invention. The user interface 600 can be generated bythe efficiency calculation system 120 after the system 120 analyzes theinput taken from the user interface 500 in FIG. 5. If the heat loss fora zone is high relative to other zones in the dwelling, suggestions canbe made to the owner based on the input from user interface 500. Forexample, if the zone's windows have not been inspected for an extendedperiod, the owner would be prompted to check for drafts that may becontributing to excessive heat loss.

Many different types of recommendations can be provided by theefficiency calculation system 120. The recommendations illustrated inFIG. 6 are only examples of the type of recommendation that can be madeby the efficiency calculations systems 120. One exemplary recommendation602, is a recommendation by the efficiency calculation system 120 forthe occupant of the building 101 to replace two south facing windowswith tinted, aluminum/glass type window which may provide a heat losssaving of 100BTU/hour. Another exemplary recommendation can include thesecond recommendation 604 which is to provide a ceiling fan in the thirdzone see 102C in which the fan may have an energy consumption of anexemplary five cents per kilowatt per hour but within an approximateheat loss savings of at least 50 BTU/hours. Alternatively, instead ofthe specific values described above, the system 120 could quote industryaverages for efficiency improvements to show the value in replacingwindows, doors, etc.

In addition to the recommendations 602, 604 that can be made by theefficiency calculation system 120, the efficiency calculation system 120can also ask the occupant of the building 101 if he or she will need theservices of a professional contractor in the field corresponding to therecommendations 602, 604 that were made. So in the exemplary embodimentillustrated in FIG. 6, the efficiency calculation system 120 can promptthe occupant of the building 101 if he or she would like to see or meetwith a window contractor. If the occupant of the building 101 answerssuch an inquiry in the affirmative, the efficiency calculation system120 can contact the backend server 124 of the home efficiency productvendors to prompt that system to schedule that service call to theoccupant of the building 101.

Referring now to FIG. 7, this figure is a functional block diagramillustrating some exemplary details for an enhanced thermostat 109 and adata acquisition unit 110 according to one exemplary embodiment of theinvention. The central processing unit (CPU) 710 of the enhancedthermostat 109 can be coupled to a thermometer 706, which is designed totrack internal or inside temperature relative to the building 101. Andspecifically, the thermometer 706 can track the internal temperature ofthe second zone 102B as illustrated in FIG. 1A. The CPU 710A can also becoupled to a display 108A that can comprise one of many different typesof displays. For example, display 108A can comprise a liquid crystaldisplay (LCD) screen as well as a light emitting diode (LED) display.The display 108A can support text as well as graphics so that the userinterfaces 200, 300, 400 can be provided to a user.

The CPU 710A can be coupled of FIGS. 2-4 to a user interface 712 such asa keypad. The CPU 710A can also be coupled to heating, ventilation andair conditioning (HVAC) controls 708 controlling various environmentalequipment of the building 101, such as furnaces, heat pumps, and airconditioning units. The CPU 710A can be coupled to memory 704A. Thememory 704A can comprise any type of machine-readable medium. Anymachine-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, floppydiskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, magnito-optical disk ROMs, RAMs,EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or any othertype of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronicinstructions for the CPU 710.

The CPU 710A can also communicate with a data acquisition unit 110A thatcan comprise either hardware or software or both. According to a firstexemplary embodiment, the data acquisition unit 110A can be containedwithin the enhanced thermostat 104B. The data acquisition unit 110A isresponsible for formatting and compressing any data from the pluralityof environmental sensors 104 that are positioned throughout the building101. The data acquisition unit 110A can also be responsible forformatting any of the environmental sensor data according to predefinedprotocols that can be understood by the gateway 116 as illustrated inFIG. 1A. When the data acquisition unit 110A executes software, suchsoftware can be stored within the memory 704A and executed by the CPU710 as needed. According to a second alternative exemplary embodiment,the data acquisition unit 1108 can be confined within a separate housingrelative to the enhanced thermostat 109. According to the secondexemplary embodiment, the data acquisition unit 1108 can comprise itsown central processing unit 710B as well as its own data aggregatorand/or compression software 714. This data acquisition unit 1108according to the second embodiment may also comprise its own memory 704Band its own separate display 108B relative to the display 108A of theenhanced thermostat 109. The data acquisition unit 1108 is illustratedwithin a dashed box to demonstrate that this exemplary embodiment isoptional and is particularly not used if the data acquisitionunit/software 110A is included in the housing for the enhancedthermostat 109.

The CPU 710A can be coupled to a wireless communication device 702. Thewireless communication device 702 can comprise a packet radio and cansupport the wireless communication protocols discussed above withrespect to FIG. 1A. For example, one exemplary protocol is the Zigbeewireless communication protocol. The wireless communication device 702can further comprise an antenna 1058.

And lastly, the CPU 710A can support an efficiency metrics clientsoftware or hardware (or both) 720. The efficiency metrics client 720A a“thin” low memory intensive software or hardware that can receive thedata which is used to support the user interfaces 200, 300, 400, 500,and 600, as illustrated in FIGS. 2-6. The efficiency metrics client 720is designed to communicate with the efficiency calculation system 120.The efficiency metrics client 720 allows a user to enter data throughthe user interface 712A, B. Such data can include, but is not limitedto, the requested data displayed in user interface 500 and userinterface 600 as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 above.

Referring now to FIG. 8, this Figure is a functional block diagram of apersonal computer 106 that can be used in the system 100 according toone exemplary embodiment of the invention. The exemplary operatingenvironment for the system 100 includes a general-purpose computingdevice in the form of a conventional computer 106. Generally, thecomputer 106 includes a processing unit 710C, a system memory 7040, anda system bus 823 that couples various system components, including thesystem memory 704C to the processing unit 710C.

The system bus 823 may be any of several types of bus structures,including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, and alocal bus using any variety of bus architectures. The system memory 704Cincludes a read-only memory (ROM) 824 and a random access memory (RAM)825. A basic input/output system (BIOS) 826 containing the basicroutines that help to transfer information between elements within thecomputer 106, such as during start-up, is stored in ROM 824. Computer106 further includes a hard disk drive 881 for reading from and writingto a hard disk, not shown, a magnetic disk drive 883 for reading from orwriting to a removable magnetic disk 887, and an optical disk drive 885for reading from or writing to a removable optical disk 876 such asCD-ROM/DVD-ROM, or other optical media. Hard disk drive 881, magneticdisk drive 883, and optical disk drive 885 can be connected to thesystem bus 823 by a hard disk drive interface 832, a magnetic disk driveinterface 833, and an optical disk be drive interface 834, respectively.

While the exemplary embodiment described herein employs a hard diskdrive 881, removable magnetic disk 887, and removable optical disk 876,it should be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that othertypes of computer readable media which can store data that is assessableby a computer 106, such as magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards,digital video disks, Bernuulli cartridges, RAMs, ROMs, and the like, maybe used in the exemplary operating environment of the system 100. Thedrives and their associated computer readable media provide nonvolatilestorage of computer-executable instructions, data structures, programmodules, and other data for the computer 106.

A number of program modules may be stored on the hard disk 881, magneticdisk 887, optical disk 876, ROM 824, or RAM 825, including an operatingsystem 874, an efficiency metrics client 720B, and data acquisitionsoftware 110C. Program modules include routines, sub-routines, programs,objects, components, data structures, etc., which perform particulartasks or implement particular abstract data types. Aspects of thepresent invention may be implemented in the form of the efficiencymetrics client 720B communicating with the efficiency calculation systemsoftware or hardware (or both) of the efficiency calculation system 120.

The user may enter commands and information into the computer 106through input devices such as a keyboard 840 and a pointing device 842.Pointing devices 842 may include a mouse, a track ball, and anelectronic pen that can be used in conjunction with an electronictablet. Other input devices 842 (not shown) may include a microphone,joy stick, satellite dish, touch screen display, or the like. These andother input devices 842 are often connected the processing unit 710Cthrough a serial port interface 846 that is coupled to the system bus823, but it may be connected to other interfaces, such as a parallelport, game port, a universal serial bus (USB), or the like. A displaydevice 847 may also be connected to the system bus 823 via an interface,such as a video adapter 848. In addition to the monitor 847, computerstypically include other peripheral output devices (not shown), such asspeakers and printers.

The computer 106 may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as the efficiencycalculation system 120. The remote computer may be another personalcomputer, a server, a client, a router, a network PC, a peer device, orother common network node. While a remote computer typically includesmany or all of the elements described above relative to the computer106, only a memory storage device 868 and relevant hardware or softwarehas been illustrated in FIG. 8. The logical connections depicted in FIG.8 include a local area network (LAN) 118A and a wide area network (WAN)118B. Such networking environments are commonplace in offices,enterprise-wide computer networks, intranets, and the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment 118A, the computer 106 isoften connected to the local area network 118A through a networkinterface or adapter 853. When used a WAN networking environment 1188,the computer 106 typically includes a modem 854 or other means forestablishing communications over WAN 1188, such as the Internet. Themodem 854, which may be internal or external, is connected to the systembus 823 via a serial port interface 846. In a networked environment,program modules depicted relative to the computer 106, or portionsthereof, may be stored in the remote memory storage device 868. It willbe appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary andother means of establishing communications links between the computers106 and 120 may be used.

Moreover, one of ordinary skill of the art will appreciate that thepresent invention may be implemented in other computer systemconfigurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor systems,microprocessor based or programmable consumer electronics, networkedpersonal computers, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like.The invention may also be practiced in distributed computingenvironments, where tasks are performed by remote processing devicesthat are linked through a communications network such as LAN 118A andWAN 118B. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may belocated in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Referring now to FIG. 9, this figure is a functional block diagramillustrating an exemplary software architecture for the efficiencycalculation system 120 according to one exemplary embodiment of theinvention. The efficiency calculation system 120 can comprise severaldifferent program modules such as an EER or energy efficiency ratingperformance data 902, an R-value calculation module 904, a heat losscalculation module 908, an energy consumption comparison module 910, anda utility analytics module 912. The energy efficiency performance data902 may comprise values provided by the manufacturer of the HAVCequipment that is usually placed on the HVAC equipment. The R-valueCalculation Module 904 computes the R-Value by multiplying theuser-input surface area of defined zones or the overall dwelling by theobserved temperature change, divided by the observed heat loss.

The Heat Loss Calculation Module 908 computes the heat loss rate byobserving the measured temperature change and multiplying by thevolumetric heat capacity of air (BTU/F ft³). The Energy ConsumptionComparison Module 910 provides a means of querying the database ofcomputed metrics (902, 904, 908, and 912) based on geography, dwellingtype or other database parameter, and compares those values. A number ofstatistical comparisons can be made between a single dwelling and thepopulation returned by the query (e.g. difference from population mean,decile rank). The utility analysis module 912 logs and records utilityconsumption for use in EER/Coefficient of Performance Module 902.

Referring now to FIG. 10A, this figure is a logic flow diagramillustrating an exemplary method 1000 for calculating energy-efficiencymetrics of a building 101 and one or more zones 102 within the building101 according to one exemplary embodiment of the invention. One ofordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the process functions ofthe steps described in this figure and the remaining flow chart figuresmay be executed by firmware in combination with a microcontroller, amicroprocessor, a digital signal processor, or a state machineimplemented in an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC),programmable logic, or other numerous forms of hardware and/or softwarewithout departing from the scope of the invention.

In other words, the steps illustrated in FIG. 10A and the remaininglogic flow diagrams of the disclosure may be provided as a computerprogram which may include a machine-readable medium having storedthereon instructions which may be used to program a computer (or otherelectronic device) to perform the process according to the invention.The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, opticaldisk, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, magneto optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EEPROMs,magneto optical cards, flash memory and other types ofmedia/machine-readable medium suitable for storing electronicinstructions.

Certain steps in the processes or process flow described in all of thelogic flow diagrams of this disclosure must naturally proceed others forthe invention to function as described. However, the invention is notlimited to the order of steps described if such order or sequence doesnot alter the functionality of the present invention. That is, it isrecognized that some steps may be performed before, after, or parallelto other steps without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention. Further, one of ordinary skill in programming will be able towrite such a computer program or identify appropriate hardware orcircuits to implement the disclosed invention without difficulty basedon the flow charts and associated description in the application text,for example.

Therefore, disclosure of a particular set of program code instructionsor detailed hardware devices are not considered necessary for anadequate understanding of how to make or use the invention. Theinventive functionality of the claimed computer-implemented process willbe explained in more detail in the following description and inconjunction with the remaining figures illustrating the other processes.

Step 1003 is the first step n the method 1000 for calculating energyefficiency metrics of a building 101. In this first Step 1003, the dataacquisition unit 110 of FIG. 1A may submit a request for data to one ormore of the environmental sensors 104. In other words, data acquisitionunit 110 can periodically poll the environmental sensors 104 forenvironmental data. However, one of ordinary skill in the art recognizesthat the environmental sensors 104 can be programmed to transmit data tothe data acquisition unit 110 at certain time periods so that the dataacquisition unit 110 does not need to actively poll each environmentalsensor 104. In such a scenario, the first Step 1003 could be eliminatedif the environmental sensors 104 are programmed to transmit their dataon a periodic basis.

In Step 1006, the data acquisition unit 110 can also receive statussignals from the HVAC equipment 112 as illustrated in FIG. 1A. The dataacquisition unit 110 can receive the status signals from HVAC equipment112 directly or through the advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) 126if the HVAC equipment 112 is designed to only communicate with the AMIbackend system 126. The status signals from the HVAC equipment 112 canindicate a current energy consumption as measured by the HVAC equipment112. As noted previously, the HVAC equipment 112 can include, but is notlimited to, furnaces, air conditioners for central air conditioningsystems, window-type air conditioners, heat pumps, and other similarHVAC equipment 112.

In Step 1009, the data acquisition unit 110 can receive energyconsumption signals from utility meters 114 as illustrated in FIG. 1A.The data acquisition unit 110 can receive these energy consumptionsignals directly from the utility meters 114 or indirectly through theAMI backend system 126. These energy consumption signals can indicatecurrent rates of consumption such as consumptions for natural gas,heating oil, electricity for air conditioners, in addition to waterconsumption by occupants of the building 101.

In Step 1012, the data acquisition unit 110 can receive temperature andrelative humidity signals from the environmental sensors 104 inside ofthe one or more zones of the building 101. Similarly, in Step 1015, thedata acquisition unit can receive temperature and relative humiditysignals from the environmental sensors 104 which are positioned outsideof the building 101. As noted previously, the data acquisition unit 110can poll each of the environmental sensors 104 or alternatively or incombination the environmental sensors 104 can be programmed to sendsignals to the data acquisition 110 on a periodic basis such as hourly,every minute, every second, etc.

One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that Steps 1003 through1015 can be performed in parallel or in a different order withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. Next, in Step 1018, the dataacquisition unit 110 can aggregate all of the data signals from Steps1003 through 1015 from the building 101 into a first profile of thebuilding 101. Next, in Step 1021, the data acquisition unit 110 canperform a data compression on the first profile as needed so that thisprofile can be forwarded to the gateway 116 in an efficient manner.Various data compression algorithms known to one of ordinary skill inthe art can be employed in this Step 1021. Further, one of ordinaryskill in the art recognizes that this data compression Step 1021 may beoptional if the first profile is not too memory intensive.

Next, in Step 1024, this first profile is transmitted over thecommunications network 118 to the efficiency calculation system 120.This Step 1024 can include the handoff or transmission of data from thedata acquisition unit 110 to the gateway 116. This Step 1024 alsoaddresses any data transformations of the first profile which may needto be performed by the gateway 116 so that the first profile isformatted so that they can be sent over the computer communicationsnetwork 118 which can comprise the internet.

As noted previously, the data acquisition unit 110 can be coupled to anenhanced environmental sensor 104B which communicates with the otherenvironmental sensors 104 using the Zigbee standard wirelesscommunications protocol. The data acquisition unit 110 can also use theZigbee wireless communications protocol to communicate with the gateway116. The gateway 116 can transform the first profile into a format thatis suitable to transmission over the computer communications network 118which can comprise the Internet. In other words, the gateway 116 canreceive the first profile from the data acquisition unit 110 accordingto the Zigbee wireless communication protocol. Next, the gateway 116 canthen format the profile as needed for transmission over the internetusing TCP/IP protocol which is the standard as of this writing.

Next, in step 1027, this first profile is received by the efficiencycalculation system 120 from the communications network 118.Subsequently, in step 1030, the efficiency calculation system 120 canstore the first profile in the homeowner historical database 122A.

Next, in routine or submethod 1033, the efficiency calculation system120 can calculate the efficiency metrics based on the first profilewhich was received. These efficiency metrics which are generated by theefficiency calculation system 120 can include, but are not limited to,an EER value which is a co-efficient of performance value for an airconditioning system, an R-value calculation relating to the insulationof the building 101, an HVAC equipment efficiency metric, a heat losscalculation metric, an energy consumption metric, and a utility andelectrics metric. Further details of these calculations will bedescribed below in connection with FIG. 11.

Next, after routine 1033, the efficiency calculation system 120 canidentify one or more zones 120 within the building 101 which may havepotential energy efficiency issues. In step 1036, the efficiencycalculation system 120 can identify those problem or trouble zones 102by comparing the efficiency metrics calculated in routine or submethod1033. Next, in step 1039, the efficiency calculation system 120 cancreate a second profile containing the efficiency metrics calculated inroutine 1033 in addition to the identity of zones 102 within thebuilding 101 which may have potential energy efficiency issues.

Next, in step 1042, the efficiency calculation system 120 can send thesecond profile over the computer communications network 118 to theenergy client which may be running or executed by the enhancedenvironmental sensor 104B or the personal computer 106 (or anycombination thereof). Step 1042 can include the communications betweenthe efficiency calculation system 120 and the computer communicationsnetwork 118 as well as the communications between the computercommunications network 118 and the gateway 116. Step 1042 can furtherinclude the communications between the gateway 116 and the dataacquisition unit 110.

In Step 1045, the energy metrics client 720 which can be executed by theenhanced thermostat 109 or the personal computer 106 can receive thesecond profile that was generated by the efficiency calculation system120. According to this second profile, the energy metrics client 720 candisplay visuals associated with the second profile to the user witheither the display 108 or the monitor 847 of the personal computer 106.These various visuals can include, but are not limited to, the userinterfaces illustrated in FIGS. 2 through FIG. 6 described above.

Next, in step 1051, the energy metrics client 720 can display the one ormore zones 102 with potential energy efficiency problems. Specifically,the energy metrics client 720 (not illustrated in FIG. 1A but see FIG.7) may display a user interface 400 illustrated in FIG. 4. Specifically,the energy metrics client 720 can display the zones needing improvementfield 412 as illustrated in the user interface 400 of FIG. 4. Next, theenergy metrics client 720 may receive a selection of the one or morezones that were identified with potential energy efficiency problems inthe zones needing improvement field 412 of the user interface 400 ofFIG. 4.

Next, in step 1057, the energy metrics client 720 can send a request tothe energy efficiency calculation system 120 for additional informationregarding the zones of interests that were selected by the occupant ofthe building 101 which may need further improvement with respect toenergy efficiency.

Referring now to FIG. 10B, this figure is a continuation of the logicflow diagram of FIG. 10A illustrating an exemplary method 1000 ofcalculating energy efficiency metrics of a building 101 and one or morezones within the building 101 according to one exemplary embodiment ofthe invention. After Step 1057 in FIG. 10A, the method continues to thefirst Step 1060 in FIG. 10B. In Step 1060, the efficiency metrics client720 residing on either the thermostat 109 or the personal computer 106can receive the additional information for a zone 102 of interest thatmay have been selected in connection with the user interface 500 asillustrated in FIG. 5. Step 1060 can include the efficiency metricsclient 720 forwarding on the collected data about a particular zone 102to the efficiency calculation system 120 over the computercommunications network 118.

In Step 1063, the efficiency calculation system 120, which receives theadditional data for anyone of additional zones 102 of interest, cancalculate the potential sources of energy efficiency problems based onthe additional information, such as physical features of these zones102, that may be provided by an occupant of the building 101 with theefficiency metrics client 720. The efficiency calculation system 120 cansupply the additional information about the zones 102 into variousequations such as those described above in connection routine 1033 andthose associated with the program modules of FIG. 9. If the heat lossfor a zone is particularly high, the software displays recommendationsto the user based on the information previously submitted by the user(e.g. type of windows).

In Step 1066, the efficiency calculation system 120 can align theanswers from its equations with a predefined set of potential solutionsto the issue of why a particular zone may be less energy efficientrelative to other zones 102 within a building 101. Step 1066 can includethe efficiency calculation system forwarding on these recommendationsover the communications network 118 to the efficiency metrics client 720which is executed by the enhanced thermostat 109 or the personalcomputer 106. Step 1066 can further include the display ofrecommendations for correcting the energy efficiency problems of thesezones 102 which were selected by the user. This display ofrecommendations can generally correspond with the user interface 600 asillustrated and discussed above in connection with FIG. 6. For example,the recommendations can include recommendations for replacing certainwindows 103 for a particular zone 102 of a building 101.

In decision Step 1069, the efficiency metrics client 720 can determineif a user has selected an option for the system 100 to contact aparticular vendor based on the recommendations illustrated in the userinterface 600 of FIG. 6. If the inquiry to decision Step 1069 isnegative, then the “no” branch is followed to the end of the process. Ifthe inquiry to decision Step 1069 is positive, then the “yes” branch isfollowed to Step 1072.

In Step 1072, the efficiency metrics client 720 can send a request tothe efficiency calculation system 120 over the communications network sothat the efficiency calculation system 120 can contact an appropriatehome efficiency product vendor through the home efficiency product backend system 124. After Step 1072, the process then ends.

Referring now to FIG. 11, this Figure is sub-method or routine 1033 ofthe method 1000 of FIG. 10 for calculating energy efficiency metrics ofa building 101 according to one exemplary embodiment of the invention.Step 1105 is the first step in the routine 1033.

In Step 1105, the efficiency calculation system 120 can calculate anR-value for the building 101. The R-Value is computed by multiplying thesurface area of the zone or building being computed, by the temperaturechange observed for the period, divided by the computed heat loss rate.

In Step 1110, the efficiency calculation system 120 can calculate an EERvalue or coefficient of performance value for the air conditioningsystem of the building 101. The EER is computed by dividing theheating/cooling power of the system by the amount of energy (W) requiredto achieve that cooling power.

Next, in Step 1115, the efficiency calculation system 120 can calculatean R-value for the building 101. The R-Value is computed by multiplyingthe surface area of the zone or building being computed, by thetemperature change observed for the period, divided by the computed heatloss rate.

Next, in Step 1115, the efficiency calculation system 120 can calculatean amount of heat loss for the building 101 based on the first profilesent to the efficiency calculation system 120 from the efficiencymetrics client 720 across the computer communications network 118. Forthe portions of the profile where the heating/cooling system isinactive, the observed change in temperature can be multiplied by thenumber of cubic feet and the theoretical number of BTUs per cubic foot,per degree F. (this is approximately 0.0182 BTU/(ft³F)), to yield thenumber of BTUs lost over the period. This is the estimate heat loss.

Next, in Step 1120, the efficiency calculation system 120 can calculateenergy consumption comparison data based on home owner historical data122A and comparison data sorted by geography 122B. The efficiencycalculation system 120 can generate certain graphs such as thoseillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 described above.

Subsequently, in Step 1125, the efficiency calculations system 120 candetermine HVAC efficiency parameters based on data that is taken fromeach HVAC unit 112 itself or data supplied by the AMI backend system126.

And in Step 1130, the efficiency calculation system 120 can calculateutility comparison data. Utility comparison data provides statisticalcomparisons of dwelling population segments when observed by the utilityprovider. For the end-user, statistical comparisons can be generatebetween their dwelling and closest comparables in terms of dwelling typeand location. Statistical comparisons can be comparisons of averages,standard deviations, graphical distribution curves, etc. After Step1130, the process returns to Step 1036 of FIG. 10A.

Alternative embodiments of the method and system 100 will becomeapparent to one of ordinary skill in the art to which the inventionpertains without departing from its spirit and scope. Thus, althoughthis invention has been described in exemplary form with a certaindegree of particularity, it should be understood that the presentdisclosure is made only by way of example and that numerous changes inthe details of construction and the combination and arrangement of partsor steps may be resorted to without departing from the scope or spiritof the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention may bedefined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for calculating energy metrics of abuilding comprising: a first environmental sensor for measuring at leastone of a temperature and a relative humidity of a first zone containedwithin the building; a second environmental sensor for measuring atleast one of a temperature and a relative humidity which is externalrelative to the building; a thermostat in communication with the firstand second environmental sensors, for passing data from theenvironmental sensors to a data acquisition unit, the thermostatcomprising a display for presenting data; the data acquisition unitstoring and formatting the data received from the environmental sensorsinto a profile; a gateway in communication with data acquisition unit,for receiving and converting the profile from a first communicationsprotocol to a second communications protocol; an efficiency calculationsystem for receiving the profile from the gateway and determining one ormore energy metrics for the building, the efficiency calculation systemproviding energy metrics from other similar buildings in a geographycontaining both the building and other similar buildings; and a secondenvironmental sensor for measuring at least one of a temperature and arelative humidity of a second zone contained within the building.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the efficiency calculation system generates arecommendation on how to improve an efficiency metric of the building.3. The system of claim 1, wherein the efficiency calculation systemgenerates a user interface which is presented on the display of thethermostat.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein the efficiency calculationsystem generates a user interface which is presented on the display ofthe thermostat, the user interface also presenting the recommendation onhow to improve an efficiency metric of the building.
 5. The system ofclaim 4, wherein the efficiency calculation system receives data fromone or more HVAC devices coupled to the building.
 6. The system of claim5, wherein the efficiency calculation system receives data from one ormore utility meters coupled to the building.
 7. The system of claim 6,wherein the utility meters are managed by an advanced meteringinfrastructure.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the efficiencycalculation system calculates efficiency metrics for the first andsecond zone within the building.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein theefficiency calculation system receives data from one or more HVACdevices coupled to the building.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein theefficiency calculation system receives data from one or more utilitymeters coupled to the building.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein theutility meters are managed by an advanced metering infrastructure. 12.The system of claim 1, wherein the efficiency calculation systemcalculates efficiency metrics for the first and second zones within thebuilding.
 13. A method for calculating energy metrics of a buildingcomprising: measuring at least one of a temperature and a relativehumidity of a zone contained within the building; measuring at least oneof a temperature and a relative humidity which is external relative tothe building; storing and formatting data received from theenvironmental sensors into a profile; converting the profile from afirst communications protocol to a second communications protocol;determining one or more energy metrics for the building based on theprofile; providing energy metrics from other similar buildings in ageography containing both the building and other similar buildings; andidentifying a particular zone within the building which may have energyefficiency issues.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprisingproviding one or more recommendations for increasing energy efficiencyfor the particular zone within the building.
 15. The method of claim 14,further comprising generating a user interface which is presented on adisplay of a thermostat.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprisingdisplaying the one or more recommendations with the user interface. 17.The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving data from one ormore HVAC devices coupled to the building.
 18. The method of claim 13,further comprising receiving data from one or more utility meterscoupled to the building.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the utilitymeters are managed by an advanced metering infrastructure.